SWSAS History

The South West Sydney Academy of Sport was established in 1997 by the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation to service the South West Sydney region which services the Local Government Areas of Liverpool, Camden, Campbelltown and Wollondilly. This academy is one of eleven which operate in NSW all of which have the same principal roles:

Facilitate the development and support of talented junior athletes in the region

Provide these athletes with access to specialist support services including coaching, sports science and sports medicine.

Identify and support the development of high performance coaches at the local level.

Provide a clear pathway for athletes from the junior development through to State and National representation.

In October 2002, SWSAS became an autonomous, independent body from the department.

Early 2005 saw several Regional Academies of Sports joined together to form a seperate entity; the Regional Academies of Sport Incorporated, or RASi. This body is responsible for conducting the annual Academy Games competition, which will held on the Central Coast of NSW in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

SWSAS is one of the foundation members of RASi.

The Academy's mission statement is:

The South West Sydney Academy of Sport aims to provide high quality, community focused, talented athlete identification and development programs which assist athletes to successfully realise their sporting potential.

The Academy's focus is therefore more on the development of athletes rather than competition and winning.

"To see an athlete develop and achieve their sporting potential several years from now is more important than the trophy that sits in a cabinet meaning nothing". (Anon)